Zenith

The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals related to methods by which a telescope, comprising a reflective liquid primary surface held in a light-focusing shape, may be compelled to maintain that shape even if tilted out-of-plane. These mirrors will be tiltable, scalable, damage-resilient, dual-use (defined as suitable for both space and ground telescope applications), and in monolithic and segmented designs that require no motion to operate.
Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded are solutions that require thrust or rotation of the primary mirror to work and research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.